| Alt Name: | Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda |
| Genre: | Science fiction Action |
| Creator: | Gene Roddenberry |
| Developer: | Robert Hewitt Wolfe |
| Composer: | Matthew McCauley |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 5 |
| Num Episodes: | 110 |
| List Episodes: | List of Andromeda episodes |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes |
Andromeda (formally titled Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda) is a space opera television series, based on unused material by Gene Roddenberry, developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and produced by Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett.[1] The series follows Kevin Sorbo as Captain Dylan Hunt of the Systems Commonwealth, an intergalactic government that presided over an extended period of peace and prosperity until its destruction from a rebellion led by the warmongering Nietzcheans and parasitic Magog. The series premiered on October 2, 2000, and ended on May 13, 2005.
Andromeda was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and produced by Andromeda Productions, Tribune Entertainment, Fireworks Entertainment[2] and MBR Productions.[3] In Canada, the show aired on Global Television Network (Fireworks' parent company) and ran in first-run broadcast syndication in the United States.
Andromeda is one of two television series (alongside ) produced after Roddenberry's death based on concepts he had created as early as the 1960s and 1970s; Roddenberry died in 1991, nine years prior to the series premiere. The name Dylan Hunt had previously been used for the hero of two television pilots Roddenberry had produced in the mid-1970s – Genesis II and Planet Earth – all of which shared a similar dystopian post-apocalyptic premise.
Thousands of years in the future, the Systems Commonwealth is a constitutional monarchy spanning the Milky Way, Triangulum, and Andromeda galaxies, with the capital of Tarn-Vedra near its core. The Commonwealth is at war with the Magog, a parasitic humanoid species spreading across the galaxies. Peace talks led the Commonwealth to cede a key world to the Magog, that of the Nietzscheans; in response, the Nietzscheans secretly attempted to usurp control of the Commonwealth.
Dylan Hunt is the captain of the Commonwealth starship Andromeda Ascendant. Its computer is a powerful artificial intelligence which Dylan has nicknamed "Andromeda" or "Rommie". Caught in a surprise attack in the first engagement of the Nietzschean uprising, the Andromeda is crippled, prompting Dylan to order the crew to evacuate. During the attack, Dylan's Nietzschean first officer, Gaheris Rhade, betrays Dylan and attempts to kill him. Dylan kills Gaheris as Andromeda is caught at the edge of the event horizon of a black hole, freezing both in time.
303 years later, in CY 10087 (approx 5167 AD), the Andromeda is pulled from the event horizon by the crew of the salvage ship Eureka Maru, captained by con-artist and expert pilot Beka Valentine, super-genius engineer Seamus Zelazny Harper, doctor and alien of unknown origin Trance Gemini, and pacifist Magog Rev Bem (the salvage crew's beneficiary also secretly brings Nietzschean mercenary Tyr Anasazi). The Systems Commonwealth has fallen, and the era known as The Long Night has begun. Hunt recruits the crew to join him in restoring the Systems Commonwealth and to "rekindle the light of civilization".
Slipstream is the primary mode of travel for ships in the Andromeda universe, and the only known method of traveling faster than the speed of light. The Vedran discovery of the slipstream was instrumental in the formation of their interstellar empire, which became the precursor of the Systems Commonwealth.
Slipstream cannot be navigated by AIs (they only have a 50% chance of choosing the correct path). Only organic pilots can "sense" a way to their destination (they have a 99% chance of choosing the correct path), and although AIs are fitted on all large ships, they always require an organic pilot for interstellar travel. It is implied that the process of choosing a path is what makes it the correct one.
A function of slipstream is that apparent objective velocities are extremely variable, as it enables travel across millions of light years seemingly as swiftly as traveling between neighboring stars only tens of light years apart. Further, slipstream is a non-linear method of travel; the fastest or safest way to slipstream between two points, though they might be in the same galaxy, may involve slipstreaming to another galaxy entirely. The more frequently used routes are often easier, faster and more predictable. Locations relatively nearby in ordinary space may be difficult or impossible to access via slipstream.
The Systems Commonwealth was a huge utopian civilization, spanning three major galaxies of the Local Group. It was founded by the Vedrans, the first race to discover slipstream, who initially used it to conquer the Andromeda Galaxy. After a long and bitter war of attrition with the major powers of the Triangulum Galaxy, the Vedran Empire was reorganized as the democratic Systems Commonwealth. The Commonwealth served as a peaceful intergalactic government for almost 10,000 years until the Nietzschean revolt.
Majel Barrett and Tribune Entertainment began developing series from Gene Roddenberry's archive in 1997. Robert Hewitt Wolfe was brought in to develop the series. Fireworks Entertainment was brought in to co-finance and for international distribution. In early 1999, actor Kevin Sorbo was recruited to star in the series while he starred in . Eric Gold, and Barrett were also to be executive producers and Wolfe as co-executive producer.[5] Bette Chadwick was in charge of casting, while visual effects were initially handled by Lost Boys Studios and Northwest Imaging & FX. By September 9, 1999, Tribune had stations committed for two years in 24 of the top 30 markets with 22 Tribune and 38 Sinclair stations for a 60% national clearance giving the series a green light. The show was offered barter terms with an eight national/six local advertising split.[5]
The Andromeda theme music used in season one was composed by Alex Lifeson, guitarist for the Canadian progressive rock band Rush.
Andromedas first episode was aired on syndication in the United States on October 2, 2000 while being carried on Global Television Network in Canada.[6] Tribune Broadcasting station signed on to carry the show in its first season. On January 20, 2002, Andromeda was renewed for two seasons, its third and fourth, having gotten two year deals with stations in 39 out the top 40 markets.[7] By January 31, 2003, the show was renewed for its fourth season, 2003–2004, in 148 markets representing 88% of the United States.[3] The show was averaging 2.2 rating for the 2002–2003 season, third behind Stargate SG-1.[8] For the 2003–2004 season, the show is one of only four first-run scripted series in syndication along with its Tribune stable mate, Mutant X.[9]
On January 14, 2004, the Sci-Fi Channel made a deal for the show and all its episodes plus fellow Tribune syndicated but discontinued show Beastmaster. In March, the cable channel would start showing season four episodes which would then be seen in syndication seven to ten days later. With the deal, the series was renewed for its fifth and final season.[10] The show began its run on Sci-Fi with a re-airing of the two-hour pilot episode.[11]
On April 23, 2004, CanWest Global Communications announced the closure of Fireworks Entertainment and placing Fireworks' library up for sale. With Fireworks being the primary production company, this was effectively the show's cancellation notice.[12] However, two of Fireworks' shows were shifted to fellow CanWest subsidiary Global Television. Tribune had ordered the show and Mutant X into production for the 2004–2005 season under the show's contract options. Fireworks Entertainment took Tribune to court to get an order releasing them from production and financing the two series.[13]
During filming of season two, series developer and executive producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe announced he had been released from the show's production and was replaced by Bob Engels. The change was purportedly to make the show more episodic and open to casual viewing since Wolfe's version—although episodic—had many plotlines and story arcs. After the show's final episode aired, Wolfe wrote and published a one-act play entitled "Coda" that explained his intended plans for the show without contradicting the aired episodes. This play is now hosted on Drive Back the Night – An Andromeda Podcast.[14]
In discussion on his website's forums and various interviews, Wolfe has elaborated that he was released from the production staff after he refused to shift the show's focus more onto Kevin Sorbo's character, Dylan Hunt, by essentially making all of the show's episodes Hunt-centric. The events of the episode "Ouroboros", the final episode written by Wolfe, introduced the last major changes that Wolfe was willing to make to the series.
By 2003, ADV Films had home video/DVD rights for the show in the USA.[15] The company released the entire series on DVD in region 1 between 2003 and 2006. In December 2003, ADV released Season 3, Collection 2.[16] On October 3, 2006, they released a complete series DVD box set known as Andromeda: The Slipstream Collection.
Alliance Home Entertainment (under license from CanWest Global Communications) has released all five seasons on DVD in Canada only.
In Region 2, Revelation Films has released the first four seasons on DVD in the United Kingdom.[17] [18] [19] [20] The fifth and final season was released on November 24, 2014.[21]
On January 26, 2015, Revelation Films released a complete series set on DVD in the United Kingdom.[22]
In Region 4, Beyond Home Entertainment has released all five seasons on DVD in Australia. In 2007/2008, they re-released all five seasons in new collector's editions that featured new packaging and all episodes were digitally re-mastered in widescreen format.[23]
A region B Blu-ray release of the first season was released on June 24, 2013, in the United Kingdom, with the next two seasons following by the end of that year.[24]
The all-region Blu-ray release of the complete box set of all five seasons was released on September 19, 2016.[25]
The first season received mixed to negative reviews. Starburst described Andromeda as a "delightfully motley cast of characters, and the scripts by Wolfe and his writing team are brimming with witty interplay."[26] A mixed review from Variety says Andromeda "could offer a few campy laughs on a weekend afternoon".[27] In a retrospective, Digital Spy remarks "this show hasn't exactly aged that well... but if you remotely like sci-fi, we also bet you'll find yourself sucked into this nostalgia-fest in no time".[28]
Andromeda received negative reviews from the Los Angeles Times ("Don't expect much excitement... 'Andromeda' isn't intended to be taken too seriously, but that doesn't excuse its penchant for dopey dialogue"),[29] Entertainment Weekly ("After surviving a hilariously bad slow motion fight sequence.. Sorbo meets up with a band of misfit scavengers who may not be as bad as they seem, but make up for it by being twice as annoying"),[30] Common Sense Media ("this series lacks the spark that made Star Trek so much fun. The politics sometimes seem overly confusing, and some of the characters are thinly developed"),[31] SciFiNow ("It's a cliche but decent enough... but the problem is that Andromeda falls into Star Trek: Voyager territory by playing it safe and not doing enough to develop its characters")[32] and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ("it's kiddie-minded science-fiction with average special effects... and a set that was clearly built on a lower budget than the 'Star Trek' shows.").[33]
Andromeda was nominated for 39 awards at organizational events spanning the years 2001 to 2006. The nominations comprised six Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA awards, five Chicago International Film Festival awards, eight Gemini Awards, fifteen Leo Awards, and five WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival awards. The show won 18 of those awards.
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominee | Episode | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA | Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series | Andromeda | —[34] | ||
| 2001 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA | Best Actor on Television | Kevin Sorbo | — | ||
| 2001 | Gemini Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series | Lisa Ryder | — | ||
| 2001 | Gemini Awards | Best Visual Effects | Bruce MacDougall, James Kawano, Geoff Anderson, Tom Tennisco, Joe Farrell, Jim Finn, Darren Marcoux, Roberto Biagi | — | ||
| 2001 | Leo Awards | Best Musical Score of a Dramatic Series | Matthew McCauley | Music of a Distant Drum | ||
| 2001 | Leo Awards | Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series | Todd Liddiard | — | ||
| 2001 | Leo Awards | Best Visual Effects of Dramatic Series | Jim Finn, Roberto Biagi, Tom Tennisco, Geoff Anderson, Jamie Kawano, Paul Cox, Joe Farrell, Peter Mastalyr, Bruce MacDougall, Mladen Miholjcic, Noel Wright, Jean-Paul Ledoux | The Mathematics of Tears | ||
| 2001 | Leo Awards | Best Picture Editing of Dramatic Series | Gordon Rempel | Angel Dark, Demon Bright | ||
| 2001 | Leo Awards | Editing, Dramatic Series | Eric Hill | Music of a Distant Drum | ||
| 2001 | WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival awards | Television and Cable Production – Directing – Television | David Winning | The Banks of the Lethe[35] | ||
| 2002 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA | Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series | Andromeda | — | ||
| 2002 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA | Best Actress on Television | Lexa Doig | — | ||
| 2002 | Gemini Awards | Best Achievement in Make-Up | Ryan Nicholson, Francesca von Zimmermann | — | ||
| 2002 | Gemini Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series | Kristin Lehman | — | ||
| 2002 | Gemini Awards | Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series | Gordon Verheul | — | ||
| 2002 | Gemini Awards | Best Visual Effects | Geoff Anderson, Jim Finn, Roberto Biagi, Tom Tennisco | — | ||
| 2002 | Leo Awards | Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects | Jim Finn | Its Hour Come 'Round at Last | ||
| 2002 | WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival awards | Television and Cable Production – Directing – Television | David Winning | Double or Nothingness | ||
| 2002 | WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival awards | Television and Cable Production – Directing – Television | David Winning | Machinery of the Mind | ||
| 2003 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA | Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series | Andromeda | — | ||
| 2003 | Chicago International Film Festival awards | Special Achievement in Direction | David Winning | A Heart for Falsehood Framed | ||
| 2003 | Gemini Awards | Best Achievement in Make-Up | Ryan Nicholson, Francesca von Zimmermann | — | ||
| 2003 | Leo Awards | Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects | Jim Finn, Paul Cox, Todd Liddiard, Peter Mastalyr, Robert Appleby | The Tunnel at the End of the Light | ||
| 2003 | Leo Awards | Dramatic Series: Best Supporting Performance – Female | Laura Bertram | The Dark Backward | ||
| 2004 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA | Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series | Andromeda | — | ||
| 2004 | Chicago International Film Festival awards | Best Dramatic Series | David Winning | Double or Nothingness | ||
| 2004 | Chicago International Film Festival awards | Best Dramatic Series | David Winning | Machinery of the Mind | ||
| 2004 | Chicago International Film Festival awards | Special Achievement in Direction | David Winning | Double or Nothingness | ||
| 2004 | Gemini Awards | Best Visual Effects | Bruce Turner, Peter Hunt, Simon Lacey, Grant Lindsay | A Symmetry of Imperfection | ||
| 2004 | WorldFest Houston | Television and Cable Production – TV Series – Dramatic | David Winning | A Heart For Falsehood Frame | ||
| 2005 | Chicago International Film Festival awards | Special Achievement in Direction | David Winning | Double or Nothingness | ||
| 2005 | Leo Awards | Dramatic Series: Best Make-Up | Francesca von Zimmermann | Moonlight Becomes You | ||
| 2005 | Leo Awards | Dramatic Series: Best Overall Sound | Jeff Jackman, Michael Thomas, Roger Morris, Gordon Anderson | The Dissonant Interval | ||
| 2005 | Leo Awards | Dramatic Series: Best Sound Editing | Jeff Jackman, Chester Biolowas, Roger Morris | The Dissonant Interval | ||
| 2005 | Leo Awards | Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects | Bruce Turner, Simon Lacey, Lindsay Grant, Ben Funk, Nick Michaeleski | The Dissonant Interval | ||
| 2005 | Leo Awards | Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects | Bruce Turner, Simon Lacey, Lindsay Grant, Ben Funk, Nick Michaeleski | Through a Glass Darkly | ||
| 2005 | WorldFest Houston | Television and Cable Production – TV Series – Dramatic | David Winning | The Banks of the Lethe | ||
| 2006 | Leo Awards | Best Sound Editing in a Dramatic Series | Jeff Jackman, Chester Biolowas, Rick Senechal, Ian Mackie, Don Harrison | — | ||
| 2006 | Leo Awards | Best Overall Sound in a Dramatic Series | Paul Michael Thomas, Ken Biehl, Jeff Jackman, Gordon Anderson | — |